When should a firefighter retire?

It is a very personal question with no easy answer, as our top responses show

For new recruits, the notion of retirement can seem an impossible distance. But understanding when it is time to go can offer perspective on a new career. To that end, we put the question of when should a firefighter retire to our readers. Here are 10 interesting responses to get the conversation started.

"When you start getting in the way of new ideas and are not open to any new types of training because you think you have done it all." — Jody Garrard

"I'm so burnt out now. If it wasn't for health insurance, I would have retired seven weeks ago." — Theresa Kunerth Kudla Ikels

"When you're dead." — Stephen Wilkinson

"When PTSD takes hold and you feel sick and shake at the thought of turning up for your shift." — Tina Webster

"When the income from your 'side' business exceeds the income of your full-time job." — Jeffrey S. Heckman

"When you're receiving monthly checks you can live off of so that someone else that needs a paying job can have yours." — Goldie McQuillan

"When my wife tells me I can, lol." — Roberto Ignacio Campos Jr.

"The job seems more difficult, your thinking becomes slower, decisions become more difficult to make, and you don't get as excited as you once did. Then it's time to walk out of that room, into the next, continue your life and look back on a good career." — Ken Henke

This article, originally published in 2014, has been updated.

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"The Question" section brings together user-generated articles from our Facebook page based on questions we pose to our followers, as well as some of the best content we find on Quora, a question-and-answer website created, edited and organized by its community of users who are often experts in their field. The site aggregates questions and answers for a range of topics, including public safety. The questions and answers featured here on FR1 are posted directly from Quora, and the views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of FR1.